Flywheelers antique tractor festival July 27-30

Several new offerings will be added to celebrate the 30th show of the Northern Michigan …

Several new offerings will be added to celebrate the 30th show of the Northern Michigan Antique-Flywheelers Club July 27-30.

A tractor drive-in movie, a weekend pass, and a rare 105 year old tractor will be available to enjoy along with tractor parades, a flea market, arts and crafts, and demonstrations.

For the first time this year, a free outdoor “tractor drive-in movie” will be showing “The Little Rascals” at dusk on Thursday, July 27.

For those without a tractor to drive, blanket and lawn chair seating will be welcomed.
Hailey Vollmer, 18, Carrie Butka, 17, and Courtney Cole, 19, a few younger members of the club, came up with the idea for the movie.

“We thought it would be a fun addition to the show to have an outdoor movie,” explained Vollmer.

“There will be snacks for sale during the movie and there is food available to purchase if people want to arrive early and have dinner but the movie is free. We thought this would be a great family event to add for our 30th show.”

An exhibit of a restored 1912 Twin City 40-65 will be another highlight of this year’s show.

This 105 year old tractor is one of only a handful still in existence and is owned by Dr. Mike Harmeling of Boyne City.

Tractors manufactured by Twin City and Minneapolis Moline are featured at this year’s show.

Some favorite demonstrations and displays will include blacksmithing, a saw mill, a shingle mill, a grist mill, antique automobiles, and the veneer mill and basket factory. Branding, threshing, museums, and a working barbershop are available also.

Located on US 131 between Boyne Falls and Walloon Lake, the club hosts the annual event to show visitors a glimpse of life in rural northern Michigan as it was in the early part of the last century.

The show runs daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an all-you-can-eat breakfast starting at 7 a.m.

Seniors’ Day will return for the second year on Thursday with senior admission discounted from $7 to $5 and a new Weekend Pass will be available that provides all four days of admission for only $20.

The Northern Michigan Antique-Flywheelers Club, an educational nonprofit organization, uses demonstrations and displays to showcase “Life in the Past Lane.”

It holds an annual show the last full weekend of July and hosts more than a thousand area fourth graders in September for Student Harvest Days.

Information on the club and event can be found at www.walloonlakeflywheelers.com, on Facebook as Northern Michigan Antique-Flywheelers Club, or by calling club President Bob DeVol at (231) 322-2760.